Mapping project for plastics in construction

Today marks the beginning of Plastic Free July.

We have been inspired by the journey of the Ocean Sheroes to start a plastic revolution. Thakeham are the official Sustainability & Education Partner for their challenge to complete one of the toughest races on Earth to raise awareness of plastics in our sea, whilst fundraising for the Seabin Project, an eco-innovation that sucks in ocean waste. 

We have an important role to play.

The construction industry accounts for around 20% of global demand for plastics, not including the plastic packaging around other materials.  

We have an important role to play in the responsible use of plastic materials and packaging and the move towards a more circular economy. As an industry we are already on that journey, with 46% of all recycled plastic products being used in the construction industry, but we’ve got a long way still to go. 

A plastic revolution.

In preparation for this year’s Plastic Free July we’ve been investigating the journey of plastics in our business and have identified more than 80 different types of plastic products. The following infographic shows the revolution in plastics, a sneak preview into the more detailed work we will be sharing in the run up to COP26.

With the support of our waste partner Biffa, our plastic stream analysis will give us a better understanding of the most significant types of plastic we dispose of and how the different types of plastic waste are processed. 

Our plastic action plan.

We will be working in partnership with Planet Mark, to use this mapping project to help create a Plastic Action Plan to highlight where the industry should remove, improve or keep plastic use and processes to tackle single use plastic, move toward a more circular economy for plastic and minimise the climate impacts of plastic use in construction.